Discarding Discontent

Occasionally I like to read Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening--not usually on the correct morning or evening, but, hey, it works.

This week I was particularly struck by Spurgeon’s comments (both the morning and evening for the particular day) about the account of David and his care for Jonathan's son Mephibosheth. (I don't remember the exact reference off the top of my head...it would be somewhere in 2 Samuel, I guess.) Because of his covenant with Jonathan, David hunted down Mephibosheth in order to show kindness to him; he even gave him a seat at his royal table. Spurgeon compared this to how the Lord takes us in and cares for us, treating us like royalty when in reality we're cripples not fit for His table. It's humbling...and makes me so grateful. Mephibosheth said to David something to the effect of, “Why would you give me this honor, when I’m nothing but a dead dog?” It was a profession of a humble, unworthy state. And Mephibosheth’s analogy is pretty fitting for us in a spiritual sense. Actually, we're worse than dogs. At least dogs respond with loyalty and gratitude to a little bit of kindness from their masters...we're showered with favor and blessings and still turn away and bite the hand that feeds us, so to speak. But the Lord keeps showing us grace, and honor, and blessing. What an incredible condescension!

I was feeling sort of off the day that I read these. Pretty soon I was able to identify the feeling as simple discontent. It was that unsettled, unmotivated feeling. I don't know exactly what sparked it, honestly. It didn't seem to be directly related to any specific thing I could put my finger on--but it was there nonetheless, that dull, vague “I don’t want to be here [in this time and this place and these circumstances and whatever else] right now” feeling. Anyway, the Lord was gracious to show me my sin pretty quickly--and reading what Spurgeon said reaffirmed it. I was reminded that wrong feelings are directly rooted in wrong thinking. And discontent is simply a feeling that results from me thinking VERY wrongly about two main things: (1) what I deserve and (2) what I have.

So in conjunction with reading Spurgeon, I was reminded, (1) that I deserve NOTHING...nothing but the wrath of God and His frown and separation from Him for eternity, and (2) instead, I have redemption, salvation, adoption, blessing, favor, all spiritual blessings in Christ, hope of heaven, a promise of glory, the presence of the Holy Spirit, love, peace, mercy, and so on...EVERYTHING.

There's nothing like realizing those things all over again to forcefully evict discontent and make me feel something like Mephibosheth did--grateful and undeserving.